Martinsville: Ryan Newman preview

Newman, Army Team Encouraged About Momentum Swing
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 25, 2009) -- Continuing the momentum is the
foremost objective for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 U.S. Army team as the
Sprint Cup circuit heads to Martinsville Speedway...

Newman, Army Team Encouraged About Momentum Swing

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (March 25, 2009) -- Continuing the momentum is the
foremost objective for Ryan Newman and the No. 39 U.S. Army team as the
Sprint Cup circuit heads to Martinsville Speedway for Sunday's running of
the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500.

Newman is coming off a solid performance at Bristol Motor Speedway, where
he finished seventh in Sunday's race while running in the top 10 for
virtually the entire 503-lap event. It was the first race of the season
that the No. 39team out of the Stewart-Haas Racing organization was able
to compete without encountering any misfortunes.

"Everyone wants to jump off to a strong start," said Newman. "We
felt going into the Daytona (season opener) that we would be competitive
out of the box. We actually were competitive before Bristol but had too
many bad breaks go our way. But Bristol showed what this team can do.We
need to keep up the momentum and keep on improving. The ultimate goal of
course is to put the Soldiers' car in Victory Lane."

Newman, a 13-time tour winner,has indeed come close to scoring a win at
the half-mile Martinsville flat track -- finishing runner-up to
Jimmie

Johnson in the 2007 fall race. Newman has tallied five top fives and six
top 10s in 14 career starts at Martinsville.

When it comes to qualifying at Martinsville, Newman's record is even
stronger with two poles along with eight top-five and 10 top-10
starting positions.

"Short tracks are where most of us were prepped on,"said the 31-year-old
Newman, who was inducted into the Quarter Midget Hall of Fame in 1993. "I
feel upbeat about Martinsville knowing that we'll have another strong
U.S. Army Chevy."

The Army Chevy that Newman referenced is a new Stewart-Haas-built car
that completed a successful test session on Monday (March 23)at the
Little Rock half-mile circuit in Rockingham, N.C.

The test session along with the Bristol result also has crew chief Tony
Gibson feeling encouraged about the upcoming races.

"We're definitely confident following the Bristol performance
and Monday's test," noted Gibson. "It's a spark that we needed.The
team's mission is to build on our momentum and continue with solid
finishes in the upcoming races. Ryan and the guys believe in one another
and know that we have the potential to be successful on a consistent
basis."